Introduction
People in positions of authority utilize their personal experiences and traits to manage other workers. From their views and education arise different types of leadership that can be roughly divided into three major categories: authoritative, democratic, and laissez-faire styles (Marquis & Huston, 2017). Each of these types has unique behaviors and characteristics that set it apart from the rest. Similarly, nursing leaders who utilize these approaches form different relationships with their peers and subordinates. The present example investigates the democratic leadership style, its advantages, drawbacks, as well as its impact on patient health outcomes and quality of care.
Example and Analysis
One of the managers in my workplace can be brought up as an example of a democratic leader. Her treatment of other nurses fits the description of this style the most. For instance, as Marquis and Huston state (2017), democratic leaders encourage cooperation with and among employees in order to make sure that everyone’s opinion contributes to the discussion. Thus, such individuals involve others in the decision-making process and allow them to have more autonomy and authority over their actions. The discussed nursing leader regularly communicates with all nurses in the department to learn about their problems and concerns. Moreover, she asks other professionals whether they have any ideas for change and supports new plans that are proposed and agreed on by the majority.
Many characteristics of democratic leadership can be incorporated into nurses’ personal styles. First of all, the attentiveness to others’ opinions is a trait that can help establish trusting relationships with other professionals and bring new and innovative views into the light. Furthermore, the nurse leader’s ability to take responsibility while also being open to constructive criticism and feedback are laudable and should be applied to one’s personal style as well. However, this particular person may sometimes ignore her own opinion under the pressure of others. Therefore, her own satisfaction and comfort with changes may suffer as a result. I would prefer not to follow her example in this regard. While this style of leadership highlights the need to communicate with others, it requires some level of authority not to be delegated to others.
Numerous nursing studies have analyzed the effect of different leadership styles on patient outcomes and quality of care. According to Zydziunaite and Suominen (2014), many nursing managers focus on performance and maintenance activities and overlook the communicative aspects of their jobs. Their authoritative style can make nurses feel controlled and ignored. On the other hand, democratic and engaged leaders form strong connections with other workers, encouraging them to take on more responsibilities. While for some nurses it may lead to increased stress levels (Benoliel & Somech, 2014), others can become more satisfied and confident in their professional skills. In turn, this leads to a positive influence on nurses’ interactions with patients (Tyczkowski et al., 2015). One can assume that democratic leadership improves health care quality as it combines some degree of authority for both the leader and subordinates.
Conclusion
Democratic leadership is often considered to be one of the most balanced styles. The discussed nursing manager exhibits characteristics of this type – she is engaged, communicative, and responsible. Her ability to integrate nurses’ feedback into all decisions makes her relationships with them open and reliable. While sometimes she undermines her own ideas in favor of others, she still assumes responsibility for her decisions and actions. Democratic leadership positively impacts patient outcomes as it influences nurses to participate in all processes of the organization and contribute to its development.
References
Benoliel, P., & Somech, A. (2014). The health and performance effects of participative leadership: Exploring the moderating role of the Big Five personality dimensions. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 23(2), 277-294. Web.
Marquis, B. L., & Huston, C. J. (2017). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: Theory and application (9th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.
Tyczkowski, B., Vandenhouten, C., Reilly, J., Bansal, G., Kubsch, S. M., & Jakkola, R. (2015). Emotional intelligence (EI) and nursing leadership styles among nurse managers. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 39(2), 172-180. Web.
Zydziunaite, V., & Suominen, T. (2014). Leadership styles of nurse managers in ethical dilemmas: Reasons and consequences. Contemporary Nurse, 48(2), 150-167. Web.